If you can dream it, you can build it

CHILDREN and adults alike were inspired by some of the world’s most amazing creations in April, after the southern hemisphere’s only LEGO certified professional Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught brought his ‘Brickman Awesome’ LEGO exhibition to Hobart.

Featuring 37 models made with more than two million LEGO bricks, the Brickman Awesome exhibition took Mr McNaught and his team of six builders around eight months to plan and more than 5000 hours to build.

The models on display came in all shapes and sizes, and kept visitors entertained for hours.

This included a wide variety of animal builds, such as a koala, Emperor Penguins, a giant orca whale and a full-sized Australian saltwater crocodile that weighed more than 60 kilograms and was built using more than 40,000 LEGO bricks.

Other exhibits included the only life-sized LEGO Harley Davidson ever made and the largest LEGO Caterpillar 797 dump truck.

The highlight of the show was the record-breaking LEGO replica of a NASA SLS rocket, which was built from more than 450,000 bricks and stood at 7.5 metres tall – the tallest LEGO brick model in the southern hemisphere.

“In my field of work heights aren’t a restriction, they are an aspiration,” Mr McNaught said.

“We want to go big, we want to amaze, and standout heights are one part of what makes this exhibition so awesome.”

A focus for many Hobart locals was the replica of Australia’s new icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina, which will be a familiar sight in Hobart when it replaces the Aurora Australis in 2020.

“Given that Hobart is the Australian Antarctic gateway, we felt it was the perfect place to bring our exhibition,” Brickman Awesome workshop manager and builder Clay Mellington said.

Mr Mellington said the aim of the exhibition was to inspire children using the phrase “if you can dream it, you can build it.”

“We hope to show what can be done using the humble LEGO brick by pushing the boundaries of what has been built before,” he said.

“In the exhibition, five of the models are surrounded by all kinds of LEGO bricks, with the model acting as inspiration for anyone who feels like having a go at being creative and displaying their creation next to ours.

“We also have a giant snake wall where the public can add their piece of its tail and complete the longest LEGO model in the southern hemisphere.

“Above all, we wanted to ignite a passion for LEGO in every person that visits our exhibition and leave them feeling they truly can build whatever their heart desires.”

Caption: The Emperor Penguins were one of many models on display at the awe-inspiring Brickman Awesome LEGO exhibition in Hobart.